A
Well Lit Path For Guitar Learning
In the realm
of learning guitar a number of companies have developed lighted fret systems to
ease the process of learning guitar - right under your fingers.
The
lighted frets allow you at the least to more readily identify each fret position
and some systems have each individual note lit for your according finger position
or positions in the case of strumming a chord.
Systems go from
easy retrofits that you can readily attach to your guitar to fully built-in systems
that are manufactured into the neck of the guitar.
The
Way Is Lit
An advantage of using a lighted fret system
is that an additional layer of visual cueing is added to the process of imbedding
how to play a song or progression so that it becomes easier to memorize the notes
to play.
Also it allows you repeated automatic direction without
having to replay a video clip or having to have your guitar instructor repeat
again and again where to place your fingers.
Of course such
systems work great by themselves and supplement any type of learning method, either
on your own with a book or online direction, such as with video lessons - or,
even with an actual live person instructor - both during your session and in your
practice time.
Go At A Slow Jam Pace Or Ripping Riff
With
the built-in systems that have every note of an arrangement from simple two chord
songs like America's "Horse With No Name" (can be played as a two chord
song) to embellished contemporary jazz arrangements from the likes of a Tim Bowman
or George Benson the fretboard can handle it all as driven by accompanying software.
And
you can vary the speed of the song's playing of course, so you can learn positioning
and changes at a comfortable pace and speed it up as you get more adept.
Plus,
some system's included software has not only the lighted notes, the onscreen notation
too but also the arrangement written out in tablature. So you can learn guitar's
unique shortcut notation system as well - typically referred to as tabs.
Top
Models
Leading the pack in this realm is the system from
FretLight that includes
a choice of quality electric guitars with the fiber optic system built into the
neck of each one. Your initial guitar purchase, in the $300s, comes with intro
software and 9 songs, up to 14 after you register, and tons more can be purchased
with their other software offerings.
Yamaha is in the category
too with their EZ-AG
model. This system is more self contained and designed primarily as a learning
guitar rather than for performance use as it has its own built-in speaker and
headphone jack - and no strings other than over the body part. But it can also
be hooked up to an external amplifier and used to present or perform with if you
so choose.
And in the realm of add-on systems FretLord
has a system less sophisticated but handy for the guitar aspirant wanting visual
help with fret identification as their system is put onto your guitar neck. This
system is somewhat for a stylistic visual effect but also with this system you
now have an easier way to identify where the frets are and can make chord and
note changes easier. The FretLord system is battery powered by a small battery
that fits behind the tuning assembly.
So now, there's no reason
why you can't accelerate your guitar learning to the speed of light, right :-)
MasterWriter
